The EU is on the hunt for fresh PR aid to help promote its Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Directorate during a key year for fishing across the continent.

The brief, worth up to £11.5m, could run for up to four years and is split across three lots.

News of the search follows a sweeping review of the EU's common fisheries policy this year, amid fears over dwindling stocks and spats between member states about the issue.

This has led to European fisheries ministers agreeing that Europe should ban the policy of discarding dead fish caught accidentally under the EU quota system.

However, tensions remain over the issue, which still needs to be agreed by Parliament and was brought to the attention of the British public following a campaign by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Speaking in Brussels last month, Lowri Evans, director general at the EU's Maritime and Fisheries Directorate, said: 'The coming decade will be crucial in maintaining and developing Europe's maritime competitive edge and sparking off new jobs.'

The EU's tender states that the brief is to 'help explain, promote, implement and develop' the EU's integrated maritime policy and common fisheries policy. The tender adds that a key aim is to 'raise public awareness of the objectives, issues and initiatives in these areas'.

The first lot covers a broad brief around creating a comms campaign, including developing relations with national press, and is worth £2.1m for an initial year-long contract.

Two smaller lots cover website creation and online promotion and events organisation. These are worth £277,000 and £456,000 per year respectively.

PRWeek understands that the deadline for the tender has been pushed back until October.

The directorate is based in Brussels and employs more than 400 members of staff.